Monday Michigan Football Recruiting Roundup Isn't All Rosy

Michigan Out For One, Dropping For Another

Four-star wide receiver K.J. Williams was considered a Michigan lock by some not too long ago. Things have since changed, with the Wolverines landing two big-bodied receivers and a slot. Syracuse began to creep into the picture long ago, eventually overtaking Michigan and the rest of Williams' suitors. He's now committed to the Orange:

I will be committing too...........

— TheWorldsGreatest#2 (@KJWilliams2) July 7, 2013

Syracuse University!!!!!

— TheWorldsGreatest#2 (@KJWilliams2) July 7, 2013

Oh, the suspense. This obviously isn't painful for Michigan, which arguably has three more talented receivers on the docket. Williams wouldn't have brought anything new to the roster, so it wouldn't surprise me if Michigan took the foot off the gas a long time ago.

The Wolverines are also dropping for another four-star prospect, that player being Illinois cornerback Parrker Westphal. The versatile defensive back hasn't had much to say about Michigan in recent weeks; he now claims no favorites. Michigan already has five-star corner Jabrill Peppers and rising prospect Brandon Watson committed, which could be much of the reason why Westphal has cooled on the Wolverines. None of this is to say that Michigan is completely out of the race for Parrker – I predicted for him to end up in Ann Arbor and I'm sticking with that for now – but the probability of him committing elsewhere seems to be on the rise. Westphal is a bigger corner who could go on to be a lock-down boundary corner, so I'm obviously hoping that the staff stays on him until the end.

Big House BBQ List Long, Impressive

Michigan holds an outdoor barbeque at the Big House every year, and every year it seems to attract some great talent from around the country. This year isn't any different, as elite players like Montae Nicholson, Da'Shawn Hand and many others could make appearances in Ann Arbor. Here are the players who are currently expected to be there, according to Wolverine 247($).

Notes:

• Da'Shawn Hand and Tim Settle will most likely come together, if Hand does indeed decide to attend. Settle could get his offer at the BBQ if he comes, which would help to solidify Michigan even more in Hand's recruitment.
• Having a massive group of commitments there is key. Seeing a group of other elite prospects mesh and talk highly about a school can work wonders in the minds of uncommitted players.
• I highly doubt either of Adoree Jackson or Leonard Fournette show up. Jackson won't ever commit to Michigan and Fournette will probably only visit if it's convenient.
• Michigan really needs to impress George Campbell if it wants to keep up with Florida. The Gators seem to be pulling away from the field in the receiver's recruitment.

Overall, this list is fantastic. There are multiple five-stars and countless four-star prospects dispersed throughout three separate classes.

General Notes and Multimedia Items

Four-star cornerback Jalen Tabor is no longer interested in Michigan, but that hasn't kept him from praising one of the Wolverines' commitments:

4star CB Jalen Tabor says @FreddCanteen_ would’ve shined at Opening. "He is definitely a 4star recruit" ($) http://t.co/I0ElrzTQXS #Michigan

— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) July 7, 2013

Add Tabor, an elite corner with great speed and athleticism, to the list of corners who've been beaten by Freddy Canteen's ridiculously quick routes.

The Opening concluded last week, and, to the surprise of no one, some of the athletes in attendance put up insane test numbers, including a few names of interest:

Measurements

Ian Bunting
At 6-foot-6, Bunting measured in as the tallest prospect in attendance at The Opening. He also weighed in at 223 pounds and has added some strength to his frame, starting to look like a college tight end.

40-yard dash

George Campbell
Fast is fast and it doesn't matter the setting, 2015 WR George Campbell always runs well and his 4.36 was just a hair away from the best time of the day. His size/speed combination is unreal but he has to continue to hone his ball skills.

Powerball Toss

Andrew Williams
Williams is very athletic in a 254-pound frame and had a 43-foot toss on Monday morning.

Da'Shawn Hand
Hand is an athletic edge rusher but probably differentiates himself with his strength and a 43 foot toss backed up that skillset.

Is anyone still skeptical of Ian Bunting's potential? No? Good.

Michigan's newest commitment, Ohio linebacker Noah Furbush, recently received some good news:

Michigan commit Noah Furbush (@NoahJF34) moved up to a four-star, No. 21 ILB in the country: http://t.co/hL22HnqFDT

— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) July 6, 2013

That's a bit surprising. Anyway, Furbush also received some mail from fellow Wolverine Michael Ferns:

S/o to @M_Ferns10 for the shirt #Team135 #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/KtHWYAgMl3

— Noah Furbush (@NoahJF34) July 5, 2013

Welcome to the class, Noah. Now go crush skulls.